279 - Seek & Save - Serve & Sacrifice

Opening Humor: The man had a parrot on his shoulder and he went into a bar. The parrot said "People, People." The man said, "Yes, parrot, these are people who come to the bar." The man went to a church that Sunday and he took the parrot with him. The parrot said, "People, people." The man said, "No, parrot, these are church people." The parrot said, "Same people; same people!"

Sermon Study # 279 ¡V SEEK & SAVE - SERVE & SACRIFICE

I. Why did Jesus come?

A. Seek & Save:

Luke 19:10 - For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

B. Serve & Sacrifice:

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to (sacrifice) give his life as a ransom for many."

Note: Jesus came for 2 reasons (Seek by saving & Serve by sacrificing) ¡V He left us the same job description!

II. Why are we here on earth?

A. To Seek by Serving:

John 13:1-17 - It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

[2] The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. [5] After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

[12] When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. [13] "You call me ’Teacher’ and ’Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. [14] Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. [15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. [16] I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. [17] Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

B. To Save by Sacrificing:

Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Note: To be living sacrifices we MUST have the right priorities in life. Mixed Up Priorities:

The story is told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snow storm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a steep cliff. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his door, and leaped from the car, which then plummeted to the bottom of the ravine and burst into a ball of flames. Although he had escaped with his life, the man suffered a ghastly injury. Somehow his arm had been caught near the hinge of the door as he jumped and had been torn off at the shoulder. A passing trucker saw the accident in his rearview mirror, pulled his rig to a halt and ran back to see if he could help. When he arrived at the scene, he found the banker standing at the roadside, looking down at

the BMW burning in the ravine below. Incredibly the banker was oblivious to his injury and moaned, "My BMW! My new BMW!" The trucker pointed at the

banker’s shoulder and said, "You’ve got bigger problems than that car. We’ve got to find your arm. Maybe the surgeons can sew it back on!"` The banker

looked where his arm had been, paused a moment, and groaned, "Oh no! My Rolex! My new Rolex!"

What does it mean to serve?

(1) TO SERVE IS A RESULT OF SALVATION.

„Ã Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

(2) TO SERVE GOD IS TO SERVE OTHERS.

„Ã Acts 17:24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. Acts 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.